


Gold and Roses, Milk and Honey

by laurel_wesley (Wes)



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Exploring Yang's relationship with Papa Xiao Long and Mama Rose, Fluff everywhere and I can't write kids, Young!Yang, also Ruby, like five years old, like really young
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 13:48:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4182159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wes/pseuds/laurel_wesley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yang never did understand why her Mama left her. But she knew when she saw Papa kissing Summer that she was going to get a new Mama- and that like it or not, her old Mama wasn't coming back.</p><p>(Discontinued for the moment.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Father's Day???? 
> 
> I can't really say that this has been the reason I haven't updated KRWN's fic, since I wrote like three chapters in a day (they're fairly short too). Idunno, I was thinking about the Volume 1 song Gold and then how it could be a song about Summer and this happened bye. 
> 
> Anyway have a smol Yang because TINY YANG.
> 
> (Note: When she says adopted it is misspelled on purpose because little kids sometimes do that)

"Yang!"

The little girl, only five, her hair still tied in pigtails by her Papa and dressed in clothes loose and fluid to fit her, was already running downstairs before her father called. She'd seen him happy in the morning, and for some reason it felt like it had been a while since he was that happy, even though he was that happy with all the time- Mostly. Papa was angry sometimes, when she did something she wasn't supposed to or broke something. But today Papa was happy! Yang couldn't mess up anything.

"Coming Papa!" Yang called. She took care to hold the handrail as she rushed down the stairs. She turned onto the last set, immediately stopping at the top. All the childish glee and excitement she'd had, all the exuberance and curiosity, suddenly flew out the window. Papa stared up at her from the bottom of the staircase, and next to him a woman she'd only seen once. She had long brown hair, the bottom a pretty red, and was wearing a white cape, with a white dress under. She had a small child with her, with the same hair but short and dressed in overalls and a polka-dot shirt. Yang ducked back behind the rail of the top set of stairs, barely peeking her head out.

"Yang, come on down. Meet your new baby sister."

"New...?" Yang called quietly, still hiding. "Is she apodted or something?"

"Kind of, I'll explain when you come down." Taiyang said. He held a hand out. "It's okay, Yang- you'll like her!"

"Who's she?" Yang asked, pointing at the other woman. She looked up, beautiful silver eyes meeting Yang's light lavender ones. Yang peeped and ducked behind the rail again, sitting down on the second to last step. She curled into a ball, not understanding the anxiety she was feeling.

"Oh, Yang-" Taiyang's voice suddenly turned quiet as he continued, "I'm sorry Summer, she's just shy- I'll get her-"

"Don't worry about it," Summer told him, her voice soft and lilting, motherly. Yang ducked her head, resting her chin agains her knees. She missed her Mama. Her Mama had a nice voice like that. She wanted her Papa.

Yang heard Summer laugh lightly. She looked out again, only to see Taiyang facing away from the stairs and holding the baby girl. Yang felt a chill up her spine, what if _she_ was the one getting apodted and Papa was sending her away? He wouldn't do that, he loved Yang, he was Papa, he couldn't-!

"Yang, right?" That beautiful lilting voice asked.

Yang startled, jumping from her hiding spot with a yelp. Summer was so tall, so pretty, like Mama- and getting smaller. Yang felt herself falling almost in slow motion, heard Papa call for her, so she shut her eyes because he'd catch her! But he couldn't because he was holding the other baby. Yang wanted to cry, he wasn't coming for her. She was falling down the stairs and Papa wasn't coming to save her.

Warm, strong arms encircled her, and suddenly Yang felt like she was flying. Wind rushed through her hair, the smell of delicate roses surrounding her. Yang hugged Papa, sniffling away tears, and snuggled into his chest. She never remembered his chest feeling like Mama's, or his neck being so thin. She squeezed tighter, tentatively opening her eyes. A little yelp caught in her throat as she stared up at the woman, Summer. She smiled at Yang, adjusting her grip so Yang's eyes met hers again.

"Hey! I'm sorry I scared you. Are you alright?" Summer asked. Yang nodded, because she couldn't find words. "That's good. Phew, I was worried I'd hurt you."

"No..." Yang muttered, turning to look away. She noticed how far up from the ground they were and yelped, clinging to Summer again. Summer laughed, patting Yang's head comfortingly.

"Don't worry, it's my semblance. Do you know what a semblance is?"

"It's like a power that everybody has, right?" Yang answered, not looking up from where she had buried her face into Summer's neck. "And Aura's something that everybody has too, but it's different. It's like a... Special light that protects people. The book Papa read to me says it's a little star everyone owns."

"Very good! She's a smart girl, Taiyang, how old is she?"

"She's five." Papa said, his voice sounding breathless. Yang wondered if he was crying, or getting close, because she always sounded like that when she cried. Not that she ever cried, big girls don't cry!

"Only five... Wow, I bet you can already read some, huh?"

"A little," Yang hiccuped. "Can you read?"

Summer laughed again, finally alighting on the floor. She adjusted Yang again, leaning her back slightly. "She's safe, I've got her."

"Yang!" Taiyang was suddenly holding both her and Summer, nuzzling her hair. "I'm so glad you're safe. Are you okay, are you hurt? Do you want me to get you some rose milk and honey?" 

"I'm okay, Papa." Yang told him bluntly, turning in Summer's arms to hug him. "I wasn't scared."

"Of course not, honey," Taiyang sighed, giving her forehead a kiss. He adjusted the other baby in his arms, then hooked an arm around Yang and took her from Summer. Summer quickly took the other baby back, bouncing her slightly until she giggled. "Thank you Summer, Yang can be a little troublemaker sometimes, but she's still a good girl-"

"I said it's fine. I shouldn't have snuck up on Yang like that." Summer said with a shake of her head. She smiled at the baby in her arms, bopping her on the nose with a finger. "Were you scared for big sister Yang and mommy too? You're a big softie, just like Taiyang is."

"I-I wasn't that worried... You handled it..." Taiyang huffed, rubbing the back of his head and looking away. A big, mischievous smile burst across Yang's face as she exclaimed, "Papa was scared! Papa was scared!"

"I was not!" Taiyang defended, putting up a hand to stop Yang from poking his face. She giggled, poking at his ears and forehead instead. "Papa was scared!"

That was Yang's first official meeting with Summer Rose, her new mother.


	2. Chapter 2

Yang ran through the halls, towards Papa's study. Papa promised to play with her when she got up, and Yang was ready now that she was awake and dressed. She had her hair hanging down her back, excited to have Papa tie it for her.

"Papa, papa!" She called, pushing the door to the study open. "Come on, let's go play! Be the Ursa, I wanna be the Hunter and fight a big scary Urs-"

Yang stopped pushing the door as the sight of Summer met her eyes. She was sitting across from Papa, her cape hanging off the back of the chair, hair running down her back. She turned to Yang and gave her a smile, making Yang duck behind the door again.

"Yang, you're up early today," Taiyang said, standing. He moved around the desk, coming to the door and picking her up when she reached for him. Yang looked at Summer again, then up at Papa.

"Papa, I wanna play, can we play now?" She asked. Taiyang chuckled, adjusting her in his arms.

"I'm almost done talking to Summer, then after that we can play whatever you want." He promised, sitting down with Yang on his lap. He reached into a drawer and produced a stack of blank paper, as well as a set of heavily used colored pencils and a sharpener. He placed them in front of Yang, where she immediately ripped the pencils open and started doodling, while Taiyang and Summer continued talking.

"Sorry for the minor interruption."

"It's fine. She's so cute, Qrow would absolutely love her."

"He already does, trust me. This skirt she's wearing? Sent by him. That dress from the first time you met her? Also Qrow. Her birthday comes around and all Yang asks is, 'Is uncle Qrow coming? Is he bringing me something cool?'"

Summer laughed, watching Yang doodle. "So when will I be able to move in?"

"Next week. I'm almost done cleaning out the two rooms- This little rascal isn't helping." Taiyang said, patting Yang's head. "Qrow will be helping, right?"

"Yes. He says he's ready to help, and has requested the whole week off from teaching."

"Great."

"He's taking care of Ruby today, so I should head home before he spoils her too." Summer said, standing up. Yang looked up, dropping the pencils in her hands as Taiyang picked her up so he could stand. He put her back down in his chair, saying, "I'll be back in a second Yang. Wait here."

"Yes Papa," She said, picking up the pencils again. Taiyang helped Summer put her cloak back on, the two exchanging quiet small talk and giggling with each other. He showed her out of the room, a hand resting delicately at her waist, and led her down the hall.

Yang waited until she heard the tell-tale creak of the stairs before she ducked out of the study and followed them. She ran to the top set of stairs, hiding at the second to last step again, and watched Papa and Summer. They were still talking quietly, but Yang felt like she hadn't seen Papa smile that much, not since mama. She remembered how Papa and Mama used to go on adventures together, and when Mama came home she'd tuck Yang in and tell her bed time stories about what had happened. Mama was really strong, and Yang wondered if Summer was also as strong as mama. She was a mama too, but not Yang's Mama. Yang rubbed her eyes. She wasn't crying, big girls don't cry! And she was a big girl. And big girls needed to know if something was up with their Papas, and that was why Yang was sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She hadn't been doing her job right.

She looked back out at the door, noticing how close Summer and Papa were standing. Yang wondered what they were doing so close, and why Papa had his eyes closed and--

She remembered Papa and Mama doing that once. It was something called a kiss. And Papa and Summer were kissing.

Yang turned away from the scene, not knowing what to feel. Papa was happy, but he wasn't kissing Mama. He couldn't kiss Mama anyway, but why was he kissing Summer? Yang remembered Papa calling the little baby her new "sister," and suddenly Yang wondered if Papa meant that Summer was going to be her new Mama.

Yang heard the door close, and thought about rushing back to the study so Papa wouldn't be mad at her. Instead, she waited, listening to him take the steps a few at a time, then pause, take steps, pause. He got up to her, peeking his head up from the top step and whispering, "Boo!"

"Let's play now, Papa," Yang told him. Taiyang stood up, ruffling her hair.

"Did you wait here for me?" Taiyang asked. Yang shook her head, her hair shaking over her shoulders.

"Nuh-uh. I finished my picture and I didn't want to wait for Papa to get back." Yang said. Taiyang smiled, kneeling to her level. "Then let's play."

He suddenly play-tackled her, making her scream shrilly. Taiyang picked Yang up and spun her around above his head, then pulled her close to him and flipped her up-side down. He gave her stomach a raspberry, making Yang giggle and scream. Taiyang flipped her right side up again and bounded down the stairs, depositing her at the bottom, then jumped onto all fours.

"Raaarh, I'm a big, scary Ursa! You cannot defeat me, Hunter!" Taiyang exclaimed, rearing back onto his knees and waving his arms in the air. Yang pointed at him confidently, yelling, "You're nothing to a strong Hunter like me! I'll defeat you easily!"

This was how Yang discovered Summer was going to be her new Mama, and the first time she ever lied to Papa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the playing that Yang and Taiyang do is something I remember doing with my parents when I was a kid lol A raspberry is basically when you just make a farting noise right up against someone's skin- It's super ticklish haha


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I always picture Taiyang looking like Hoenhiem (Papa Elric from FMA) and Summer looking like kumafromtaiwan's Henceforward Ruby but in all white lol

"And today I want my weapon to be a scythe!" Yang exclaimed, flopping backwards onto the grassy ground and waving her feet in the air. "It'll be big, and taller than me, and really big and powerful, so when Papa tries to attack me I can cut off his arm! No Beowolf will stand a chance to me! I'll be like you, uncle Qrow!"

"Like me?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, my scythe _is_ pretty awesome, and Beowolves _do_  cower when I step into their territory..."

"Yeah!" Yang yelled, sitting up. "It's so cool, and you're so fast with it! I wanna be fast like you, uncle Qrow!"

"You wanna be fast, huh?" Qrow said, a glint in his eyes. He suddenly lunged from his spot and jumped at Yang, slowly enough that she could get up and stumble back. "Let's play tag! I'm it!"

Yang squealed and started running, sprinting as fast as she could. "You can't catch me, I'm too fast for you uncle Qrow!"

She ran and ran from him, barely looking back to see if he was gaining on her. She turned into the small garden, ducking behind a fence and a bunch of tomatoes, squating in the dirt so Qrow couldn't see her. She heard the gate creek open, and stuffed her hand over her mouth to quiet her giggles. Qrow looked around, pretending not to hear the tiny noises.

"Where are you, little Xiao Long..." He mumbled. He looked over to the tomatoes, staring in her direction as soon as he saw her golden hair. "Are you in the tomatoes?"

Yang shut up immediately, not daring to move or even breathe. She waited for a few seconds, before hearing Qrow turn away. She started giggling again, her uncle was so clueless!

"Or are you in the potatoes? Or maybe the cabbages!" Qrow bellowed the word, stomping on the ground and making Yang scream. She jumped up from her hiding place yelling, "Here I am!!" and then turned and sprinted away from him. Qrow yelled an "Aha!" and followed her, calling, "I'm gonna get you!"

"No you're not!" Yang giggled, her eyes closed. She kept running, snickering to herself.

"Yang, look out!"

"You look out- Oomph!" Yang stumbled back and fell, rubbing her nose. Her nose throbbed sorely, bringing tears to her eyes- But big girls don't cry! Don't cry!

Yang let the first sniffle slip, and the flood gates opened. She held her nose, crying to herself as Qrow came over and kneeled next to her, holding her shoulders. "Yang, are you alright?"

Yang wailed taking that hand offered to her. She squeezed tightly, saying, "It hurts! My nose hurts!"

"It's okay honey, it's okay." A soft voice whispered. Yang recognized that voice and immediately looked up, seeing Summer smiling at her. Yang didn't know if she wanted to hold Summer's hand or not, so she instead looked away. Qrow rubbed at her back, giving his younger sister a smile. "She wasn't watching where she was going, I should have stopped her sooner."

"It's fine, she didn't bowl me over- Got close though." Summer chuckled, still holding Yang's hand. "Is your nose hurt?"

"Uh-huh." Yang sniffled. She looked up when Summer asked her to, eyes widening at the glowing finger waved in front of her.

"Follow my finger," Summer instructed, and moved her finger left, right, up, down. She moved her finger close, then away, and then back in towards Yang's nose until she had to go crosseyed. Yang closed her eyes as Summer tapped her nose, saying, "Bop."

Yang opened her eyes, poking her own nose. "It doesn't hurt."

"Mommy's magic touch." Summer said with a wink. Yang looked down, letting Summer's other hand go. "But you're not my mama..."

"Hm? Oh, I..." Summer was silent for a moment, as if realizing her own mistake, before saying, "I guess that's true."

"Yang!" Qrow said quietly. Yang knew that tone, uncle Qrow only used that voice when he was going to scold her or Papa for doing something bad. She stood up, still looking at the ground.

"Thank you, Summer." Yang said, then ran off. "I'm gonna go play with Papa now! Bye uncle Qrow!"

"Wait, Yang-" but she was already gone.

"She's getting too fast for me, and I'm still the fastest on the team. I shouldn't be encouraging her..." Qrow muttered, rubbing his forehead. Summer moved to sit next to her brother, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Sorry about Yang," Qrow apologized, sitting cross-legged. "I think she's still recovering from Raven."

"Yeah... Yang misses her old mommy still, and probably always will. She... We never did figure out why she left." Summer said, looking up at the blue sky. She leaned back, sprawling out in the grass. "I wish Raven had told us something more than just 'goodbye.' We'd be able to help Taiyang when he has to tell Yang..."

"Sadly, she didn't," Qrow mumbled, leaning back on his hands. "Yang's a good kid, and Taiyang's been a good dad. She's still so much like her mom."

"Yeah. Sometimes it's a little eerie how similar they look." Summer laughed. She closed her eyes, letting the breeze waft over her. "Even if I am joining her family, it will still take her a while to get used to me as her mother. I hope she'll come to accept me eventually."

"She really does like you," Qrow said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"How do you know?" Summer asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I- um..." Qrow struggled for a response. "She told me about how you caught her when she fell down the stairs."

"Well I kind of made her fall in the first place..." Summer confessed, scratching her cheek.

"Hm... She also told me about you and Taiyang kissing goodbye that one time." Qrow said, nibbling the tip of his finger. Summer shot up and looked at him, her face flushed.

"She saw that?! I-I didn't know! Oh my gosh I can't believe she- nooo!" Summer covered her face and fell back to the ground, rolling side to side and wailing. "That's so embarrassing, I can't believe this. Does Taiyang know?"

Qrow laughed, ruffling his sister's hair. "Probably not!"

"I'll mention it to him at some point." Summer sighed, sprawling back out. "I hope Yang warms up to me though, and that I can help her feel more comfortable with this whole thing. I don't want to make this harder for her."

"I think you're doing a good job." Qrow told Summer after a moment. "Trust me, she likes you."

"I hope." Summer smiled.

* * *

"Papa! I'm done playing with uncle Qrow, let's play now!" Yang called, running towards Papa's study. As she got to the door, she saw that he wasn't there, and decided immediately to find him. It was time to play with Papa. Finding him was an important part of playing with him.

She ran across the hall to the other side of the main steps, calling for Papa. As she got to the end of the hall, she heard his voice singing a lullaby. 'That one's my favorite!' Yang thought, and headed to the door. She pushed it open, yelling, "Papa! Come play!"

"Shhh!" Taiyang shushed her, eyes wide. 

"Why?" Yang asked, somewhat quieter. She looked over to the crib, it was new- Taller than her, and a light pinkish white, with a mobile hanging over it. That was her old mobile, with different types of cutely styled Grimm circling it. Was Papa going to make her sleep in a crib again? She just got her new bed! 

"Shhh, Ruby's sleeping..." Yang came over to the crib Papa was standing by, and stood on her tip-toes to try to look over. Taiyang picked her up, allowing her to see the sleeping Ruby.

"This is little sister, right?" Yang asked quietly, popping a finger into her mouth. Taiyang smiled and nodded.

"Her name is Ruby. She just turned three. Do you want to tuck her in?" Taiyang asked. Yang nodded.

"I thought mamas and papas tucked Ruby's and Yang's in." Yang said after pushing the blankets in around Ruby. Taiyang gave a small chuckle, stepping out of the room and closing the door.

"Sometimes big sisters get to tuck Ruby's in too," he told her, putting her down. "And sometimes uncle Qrows get to, too."

"Is uncle Qrow gonna tuck me in tonight?!" Yang squealed excitedly, her whole face lighting up. Taiyang took her hand brought her down stairs and out to the yard. "If you want him to, then he will." Taiyang answered with a bow. Yang giggled and clapped, mock curtsying. "If the Queen Hunter commands it, it will happen!" 

"So what would you like to play today, my liege?"

That was how Yang came to realize she was worried about Summer for some reason, and how she first got to meet her sister.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I feel like the more I write for this fic the more I write if off my own experiences as a child lol Except I never had a sister haha.... I wish I had a twin lol

"Papa, where'd Mama go?"

They were on the floor of Taiyang's study, colored pencils and brightly-colored papers spread around them. Taiyang was sketching out a globe near his desk, illuminated gold by the mid-day sun, while Yang was drawing three people- herself, her Papa, and her Mama. Not her new Mama, her old Mama.

"Mama's just gone to get the last of her things-"

"Not Summer," Yang cut him off. "She's my mama but she's not my Mama."

"Please at least try to call her 'mama...' It would make her really happy." Taiyang tried, giving Yang a pleading smile. Yang didn't look up from her drawing, except to reach for the pencil sharpener to sharpen the black pencil she was using.

"Maybe," Yang said as she worked the sharpener. "Where is Mama?"

"Mama's... On a very long vacation." Taiyang tried, looking back to his paper. He'd never resented Raven for leaving, but he hated how difficult she'd made it for him to explain to Yang. Then again, they had been hoping she'd ask later in life...

"But if Mama comes back and sees you kissing Summer, won't she be mad?"

"What- Kissing? What, no. She wouldn't be mad, she... Ah..." Taiyang sat up, scrambling for an excuse while his face started to burn. He wondered sometimes why a man in his late thirties still got worked up and flustered like a teenager. He adjusted his seating, propping one leg up and leaning back on the opposite arm, his free hand draped across his knee.

"I think Mama would be mad."

"Are you mad, Yang?"

"A little." Yang puffed a strand of hair out of her face, her cheeks bloating in a pout. Taiyang wanted to laugh at his daughter, but couldn't find it in himself. For Yang, suddenly having a new mother and a sister must have been hard. Taiyang admitted that he hadn't put as much thought into that as he should have, and let out a long exhale.

"What are you mad about, Yang?" He asked. Yang puffed her cheeks up more, reaching for the sharpener again.

"It's nothing," she said, sharpening her pencil. There was a small snap, signaling the lead breaking. She kept sharpening.

"Yang, you can tell Mom- Summer or I if something's wrong. We'll make it better." Taiyang said, picking up a pencil and examining it.

"Summer's not my mom." Yang repeated. She cast her eyes at the floor, but didn't stop drawing.

"She's... Yang, you have to understand, Raven's gone... She... I don't know, it's difficult to explain, I..." Taiyang kept struggling to explain. Talking wasn't his strong point, something he hoped his daughter never inherited. He was better at beating things up- Something he also hoped his daughter inherited.

"When will Mama be coming back?" Yang asked. Taiyang looked at her, her eyes curious and innocent. He really, really wanted to beat up whatever twist of fate had Raven leaving.

"She's... She's not, Yang. Mama's not coming back." Taiyang finally sighed, looking away.

"But she has me and Papa to come back to, why would she not be coming back?" Yang asked again, looking back to her drawing. She'd drawn herself as a big strong huntress, beating up a herd of Ursa with her Papa and Mama. "She has to come back so she can fight Ursa with us."

"Yang..." Taiyang looked at her picture- she'd given herself and Raven the same hair. "Are you planing on growing your hair out?"

"Yup. So then I'll look just like Mama and Papa. She had long hair and you have long hair so if I grow it out I'll match." Yang explained, smiling. "Here Papa, I'm done!"

She pushed the paper towards him, so Taiyang could pick it up. He examined the image, smiling to himself. "You added so many details, Yang. You're so good at drawing."

"I know!" Yang cheered, and started on another picture. "I'm gonna draw me and uncle Qrow this time, and we're gonna have matching scythes so we can go beat up Beowolves together and--"

"Taiyang~ I'm home~" a sweet voice called. It was faded, but to Yang it sounded deep and gorgeous. She knew that voice. She'd never forget it.

"Mama! Papa, that's Mama, Mama's home!!!" Yang exclaimed, jumping up. Taiyang tried to stop her from running outside, so he could tell her it wasn't Mama, but she was already gone. Yang ran down the hall, her face alight with excitement, because her Mama had come back! She probably had so many stories to tell!

"Mama!"

When Yang looked down, all she saw was Summer. Summer, who had a weapon strapped to her back. Summer, who was holding Ruby's hand. Summer, who's face lit up, and she gave Yang a beaming smile.

"Hi, Yang! I'm home~"

"Oh. H-hi, Summer." Yang stuttered. She felt herself getting picked up and turned around, her eyes meeting Papa's. "Summer's home, Papa."

"I- I know, Yang."

"Where's Mama?" Taiyang really wanted to burst into tears right there. He looked over at Summer, her expression sad, then gave Yang a tight hug. "I don't know, Yang. I really don't know."

"Where is she?" Yang demanded as she was being carried down the stairs. She pounded her tiny fists against Taiyang's shoulders, yelling, "Where is she? Why did she leave?!"

"Yang, she- Mama had something important to do. Very important. She had to go-" Summer tried, meeting Taiyang at the bottom of the stairs, Ruby's tiny handa held in one of hers. Yang was starting to cry now, her hits weakening and instead turning to struggles.

"Where is she? Why doesn't she come back? Doesn't she love us anymore?!" Yang wailed, pushing away from Taiyang. He held her tighter, making sure she wouldn't fall.

"Yang, of course she loves us, she-" Taiyang started, being cut off by a loud wail. He looked down to see Ruby, who was also starting to cry. "Yang, please-"

"If she loves us why isn't she coming back!" Yang screamed, and it was as if a tiny sun had burst into existence right in front of Taiyang. In his surprise at the heat and flames wafting off Yang's tiny body, he let her go, mentally kicking himself when he realized. Ruby screamed next to him and immediately hid behind Summer's leg, while Summer, who instead of baking up, took a tiny step forward and held out her hand.

Yang felt like she was floating. Summer had Yang's wrist grasped in her hand, and was slowly lowering her to the ground. The flames dissipated, the heat still wafting off of Yang for another good minute or two. She looked up at her Papa, who was covering his mouth in shock. She'd never seen him do that before, except at something scary. Was she scary?

"Yang, calm down." Summer said, painting. "Mama has a reason for not coming back, okay? She still loves you very much, but it was for you that she-"

"It was my fault?" Yang asked, tears streaming down her face. She jerked away from Summer, turning towards the door. "If it's my fault she left I have to find her! Mama could be doing something scary and I have to help her!"

"Yang, no!" Summer yelled, reaching for her again. Instead she fell forward, catching herself with her hands.

"Summer!" Taiyang knelt next to her, holding her shoulders. Ruby crawled to her other side, still sniffling. "Mommy..."

"My god, Summer, you're burning up! You shouldn't be this active with a fever this high!" Taiyang exclaimed, pressing his hand to her forehead. Summer shook her head, bopping Ruby on the nose with her finger. "Mommy's fine, I just slept in the cold for one night, and the temperature dropped more than I anticipated. I'll be alright with some rest."

"Using your semblance like that must have exhausted you too, you know how hard it is to use on other people." Taiyang chided.

"It's _fine_." Summer stressed, standing shakily. "Watch Ruby, I'm going after Yang."

"Summer-"

"I promise I won't injure myself this time! I'm not that klutzy anymore!" Summer called, rushing out of the room to follow Yang. She followed the tracks in the grass, little foot indents that were sometimes burnt, leading out into the forest- if Yang had run through there, trouble could be following her.

A shrill scream caught Summer's ears.

"Yang!" She yelled, and ran towards the noise.

* * *

Yang scrambled away from the Ursa standing over her, eyes wide with terror. She hadn't been watching and ran straight into it, falling on her butt. Before she could get up and run, it tried to attack her, but a well times burst of flames blocked the attack. Yang still didn't know what was up with the fire, but it wasn't terrifying to her. It felt warm, and protective, like her own little star. She wondered briefly if it was her aura or semblance, but she didn't have time to think on it. The Ursa still wanted to eat her.

The Ursa roared at her, pawing the dirt with it's claws like it was ready to charge. Yang's flames dissipated, and she realized that with nothing to protect her, she would probably die. Yang screamed, covering her face and curling into a ball. Papa had to come save her, he just had to!The Ursa started charging her, making Yang whimper and curl tighter. Papa was coming, Papa was coming, Papa was-!!

There was a sudden thump, and the Ursa stopped running. Yang looked up to see it's face less than a foot in front if her, eyes dull. She yelped, scrambling away again, and looked around for her savior. "Papa, Papa where are you? I'm scared!"

"He's very scared for you too, you know." Summer said, hopping down from a high branch of a tree. She floated to a stop next to Yang and placed her weapon, a long bow, on her back again. She knelt next to Yang, looking at her expectantly.

"You saved me?" Yang asked with a sniffle. Summer nodded. "You shouldn't have run off like that, Yang. The forest is very dangerous, you know. Your papa is very worried for you, what if one of us hadn't gotten here on time?" Summer scolded, her voice soft yet serious. Yang looked down. "I just- I wanted to find Mama, so..."

"I know you do, sweetie, and Papa does too. But you can't just go running off on your own like that, okay? You need to bring either him or me with you next time." Summer said. She was a bit surprised when Yang let her help her up, and then took her hand so they could walk back towards their home.

"Okay." Yang said, and they continued the walk in silence. When they got home, Taiyang stopped playing Peekaboo with Ruby to run over to them. He kneeled in front of Yang, pulling her in for a tight hug. Before she could hug back, he pulled away, holding her face with both of his hands. He looked worried, and relieved, and a little angry all at once.

"Yang, what were you thinking, running away like that? Are you okay, did you get hurt? Any burns? Do you want some rose milk and honey, or a snack? Why did you run off, I was so worried!" Taiyang rushed, almost too quickly for her to understand. Yang, who realized now how tired she was, reached forward and put her hand over her Papa's mouth.

"I'm tired Papa. Let's go to sleep."

"Alright. I'm going to scold you for this later, young lady, but first let's get you to bed." Taiyang said. He looked up at Summer, saying, "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if..."

"Is no problem." Summer slurred, looking a bit unsteady on her feet. "She's..."

Summer fell forward, giving Taiyang very little time to stand and catch her. Yang had the right mind to move out of the way, standing next to Ruby so the two adults didn't fall on her.

"Summer? Summer, are you okay?" Taiyang fretted, feeling her forehead and neck. "This cloak is too heavy I can't believe I let you run out like that, with a fever! You need rest too..."

He picked up with a hand holding her shoulders and the other under her legs, and told Yang, "I'm sorry honey, I promise I'll tuck you in as soon as I get Summer into bed. Watch your little sister for a moment!"

He rushed up the stairs, leaving Yang and Ruby alone. Yang watched him go, then turned and closed the door so Ruby couldn't get out. Yang turned back to the little girl, who was watching the stairs, and came to sit next to her.

"You're little sister." Yang said, sitting down on her knees. "And I'm big sister. And you have to do what I say."

Ruby looked over at Yang, and frowned immediately. Small tears started running down her cheeks, and Ruby started to hiccup and cry loudly. Yang panicked, not knowing what to do.

"Wait, sis, stop crying! Stop crying, I'm big sis you have to do what I say!" Yang cried, wiping at her own eyes. She was frustrated to say the least, and a little annoyed at her own tears and Ruby's. She didn't know how to be a big sister!

This was how Yang decided that her life-long goal would be finding Mama, and how she discovered being a big sister was harder than she thought.


	5. Chapter 5

"Maybe I explode when I scream." Yang said. She was sitting at her kitchen table with uncle Qrow, drinking rose milk and honey from a big blue mug. Qrow had a black and green one, with gross bitter coffee in it- Yang didn't like how Qrow drank coffee, it was like Mama and it was really gross. She liked how Papa drank his coffee, very sweet and milky, like her rose milk and honey. That was her favorite drink, she loved how sweet it was.

"Because both times I explouded I was screaming. So I have to scream to go boom." Yang said, kicking her feet under the table. She looked at her mug. "Get it? Loud, like screaming? I'm gonna try it."

"Yang, don't-" Qrow was cut off by her scream, and he covered his ears to keep them from ringing. After a few seconds, she stopped, looking at her hands. "Did I do it? Did I go boom uncle Qrow?"

"No, but I think my ear drums did..." Qrow mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee. Yang hummed, popping her finger in her mouth. Qrow realized she probably picked that up from _him,_ of all people, and watched her curiously. He did that whenever he was working on something, maybe Yang had developed it as a thinking habit? "My rose milk and honey is getting cold, I'm gonna try again."

Qrow spit his coffee back into his mug, and didn't have time to cover his ears. Yang shrieked at her cup, making the contents ripple, but otherwise, nothing happened. Qrow slammed his mug on the counter, coughing violently. He reached over and put a hand on Yang's head, saying, "No more screaming, Yang, or Taiyang's gonna get really ticked at me."

"What does 'ticked' mean?" Yang asked, using her usual in-door voice. "Is it like tickled? Is Papa gonna tickle you?"

"No, it means angry." Qrow told her, pulling his hand away. He felt something ghost over his fingers, and looked to see a golden strand of hair surrounding his hand. Yang looked up at his hand, asking, "What's that shiny thing?"

"That's your-- Why are your eyes red?" Qrow asked.

"Red? Really? That's so cool!"

"Oh no."

* * *

 Taiyang couldn't tell if the whole house rattling was from the noise of the explosion or the explosion itself. He immediately hopped over his desk, scattering a box of paper clips and a stack of papers in general as he rushed out of the room. The fire alarms started blaring, and he looked out to see Summer peeking her head out from Ruby's room.

"Taiyang, what's happening?"

"I don't know! There was an explosion-"

"TAIYANG."

"And that's Qrow. The kitchen," Taiyang said, starting to run downstairs. "Get Ruby outside! I'll see what the problem is!" 

Taiyang rushed to the kitchen, where he could see smoke rising from. He covered his hand with his sleeve, then pressed it to his mouth, and dashed into the kitchen.

The sight that met his eyes almost made him burst out laughing. If it wasn't for everything being on fire, he probably would have. Qrow was holding up Yang at arm's length, while her hair, burning gold, tried to engulf his arms in flames. She was giggling and laughing, like she was having the grandest time in the world despite being stuck in the middle of a burning room.

"Taiyang!" Qrow shrieked. "Your daughter is about as crazy as you are!! Get a fire extinguisher, A-SAP!"

"R-right, got it!" Taiyang agreed. "Get Yang out of here, I'm getting the extinguisher." 

As he ran back out of the room, he saw summer at the top of the stairs, holding Ruby in one arm and a phone in the other hand. She was rushing downstairs, not towards him but towards the door.

"I called the firemen!" She yelled to him. "They'll be here in twenty minutes!"

"Good! I'll send Qrow outside shortly!" Taiyang yelled back, sprinting towards the closet by the bathroom on the first floor. He threw the door to the closet open, locating the extinguisher, and broke the glass, rushing back to the kitchen. He started spraying the flames at the door, then the ones near Qrow and Yang. Qrow was holding her close, and she wasn't giggling anymore.

"Qrow! Get outside, now!" Taiyang commanded. Qrow was out of the kitchen before Taiyang could even blink, running towards the open door. Yang was with him, and the fire didn't seem to be spreading anymore, but it was definitely getting worse. Taiyang feared the fire extinguisher wouldn't help much, and his own semblance would only make the situation worse. He didn't want to leave his house burning though, he--

An arrow whizzed by his head, exploding against the wall across from the door in a shower of ice and snow. It started melting, but the sudden burst of raw Dust helped. Taiyang ducked out of the way of a pair of bullets fired by Qrow, also exploding into tiny icicles, and ran from the kitchen.

"Are Yang and Ruby outside?" He asked, panting.

"With the firemen. They were early!" Summer exclaimed cheerfully, firing another ice arrow with a wide smile on her face. Taiyang breathed with relief and gave Summer a quick peck on the cheek, before running outside to his daughters.

"Papa!" Yang yelled when he got outside. She ran to him, jumping a his legs. "Did you see it, did you see it? I had red eyes and then I exploded, it was so cool! I wanna do it again, I wanna do it again!"

"Yang, I'm sorry, but you cannot do it again." Taiyang said sternly, placing his hand against his forehead. "You nearly gave Qrow a heart attack... He's too old for that, honey." 

"I know, it was so funny!" Yang exclaimed, her smile so wide Taiyang wondered if she would actually hurt herself.

"Why don't you go check on Ruby, and make sure she's okay? I need to talk with the firefighters, alright?" Taiyang told her, pointing to where her sister sat. Yang looked at Ruby, then up at him and said, "Okay. I won't explode again."

"Good." Qrow said from behind Taiyang when Yang ran off. Summer chuckled as she passed them, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. His hair was sticking up all over the place, the ends of his cloak an pants burnt- the rest of his clothing was disheveled and his skin and clothes were smudged with ashes.

"Qrow! Old buddy, thanks for taking care of her!" Taiyang started nervously. Qrow crossed his arms and gave his friend a look of pure annoyance, cantering his hip.

"Old? _Old_? Xiao Long I am younger than you by a year and six months, don't you forget that."

"I know, ahaha..."

"You better, old man."

"Hey!"

"Anyway," Qrow continued, glancing over at Yang. Summer had gone to sit with her and Ruby, and was playing a hand-clapping game with them. He looked back at Taiyang and continued, "Did you see her eyes go red?"

"Yeah, she told me. What even happened? I still don't know what triggered it the first time, was she angry at you?" Taiyang asked, concerned. Qrow shook his head, puffing a strand of hair out of his face. "She inherited your hair thing, that's what happened."

"What?! I like my hair, thank you very much!" Taiyang exclaimed, brushing his ponytail over his shoulder and holding it protectively. Qrow pointed at him accusingly. "I know! And I know when you lose a strand, your semblance goes crazy! Her's does too, all that fire? That's her semblance, and when I accidentally pulled out a strand of hair," Qrow threw his arms up into the air, "BOOM, she lit up. She's five years old, Taiyang, how did she even discover her semblance so quickly?"

Taiyang looked at his family, a happy family, and put a hand on his jaw. He felt a strange sense of pride swelling in his chest, that Yang had already unlocked her semblance. She'd need help controlling it, and the fire would be a problem, but he had confidence that they could work together to control it.

"I think it was last week, when Summer returned from that away mission. Yang was wondering about Raven and got really upset that she wasn't coming back. I was holding her and while she tried to get away she just kind of... Ignited." Taiyang explained.

"Thanks for telling me about the red eyes, at least." Qrow huffed. "I'm not apologizing for the house though."

"Ever the stingy one, aren't you, kid." Taiyang laughed, reaching to ruffle Qrow's hair. Qrow squawked, literally squawked, and pushed Taiyang's hand away. "We're not Beacon punks anymore, don't call m-- Ow, jeez, ow..."

Qrow pulled his hand close to his chest, wincing the second time he touched it.

"You're burned..." Taiyang observed.

"No thanks to that little rascal," Qrow huffed a laugh, grinning. "It's just a burn, I've suffered worse. I'll get some first aid from the fire fighters, don't think too much about it."

"I'll try. Gonna be hard with no kitchen though." Taiyang laughed. "Go get some bandages. Summer and I will handle the rest."

This was how Yang discovered that exploding was actually really _fun_ , and how Qrow figured out that Taiyang's kid was actually a crap-ton more trouble than he gave her credit for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I also don't remember exploding as a little kid. And Yang has already started making puns at age five, she's becoming a real menace.


End file.
